Football legend Wayne Rooney has called for football clubs to be fined and have points deducted from their tally as a means to curb racism in the sport.
He said this as the English Premier League grapples with the latest incident of racism that took place in the opening game of the 2025-2026 season in a game between Liverpool FC and AFC Bournemouth.
Bournemouth’s Ghana forward, Antoine Semenyo, was allegedly racially abused by a 47-year-old male Liverpool supporter at Anfield in the first half of the game that ended in a 4-2 win for Liverpool, with Semenyo scoring a brace.
Speaking on the BBC, the former Manchester United and Everton captain called on football authorities to fine clubs whose supporters engage in racist acts and even have points accumulated by such clubs deducted.
“You have to hit the clubs because that’s the only way it will stop. If there is ignorance, the fans will still do it. You have to hit the clubs by taking off points or hit them in the pocket and take money away from them. Otherwise, it will keep on going. Hopefully the right people sit down with the right organisations to try and get something serious in place” Rooney said.
Since the incident, the Liverpool fan at the centre of the controversy has been arrested and released on conditional bail as investigations continue.
As part of the conditions of his bail, he has been banned from entering any football stadium in the United Kingdom, while Semenyo has received support from the football community, notably FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
